Today we went to the city of Safed in the mountains of the north. It is the religious home to kabbalah studies and jewish mysticism. It is a beautiful old town of stone. A main stairway cuts through the city and once separated the Jewish and Muslim quarters back during British rule. Traveling in such a large group is a little frustrating. I enjoy being a "fly on the wall" in foreign countries, seeing how people live and interact when the camera is not on them. Traveling with 40 north americans creates a difficult bubble to escape.It also scares away all the birds....

The man in the picture is cooking me a vegetarian yeminite dish that was very delicious along with the lemonade served with mint and other spices. The shwarma I had soon after was also really good....